The invention relates to a multiple-row roller bearing and specifically to a two-row roller bearing assembly and a guide ring for guiding the rollers of the bearing.
Double-row self-aligning roller bearings with a spherical outer ring raceway are commonly designed in this way. A guiding ring which is centered in the outer ring of the bearing and guides the rollers of the rows of rollers which are adjacent the guiding ring gives a good roller guidance, which is important especially in bearings used in such applications in which the rollers are subjected to forces, such as acceleration forces, which tend to move them out of their desired position.
A guiding ring which is arranged between the rows of rollers and is centered by contacting the raceway of the outer ring must, in a bearing of the above mentioned kind, have a radial extension which exceeds the radial extension of the bore of the outer ring at the side planes of the outer ring. This fact makes it difficult to mount the guiding ring. One solution to this problem is to press the guiding ring diametrically into elliptical shape as much as its elasticity allows and introduce it into the bore of the outer ring with the longer axis of the ellipse coaxial to the bearing axis. This solution is possible only if the guiding ring is made of a material which permits a considerable elastic deformation. Such materials have, however, generally a poor wear resistance and unsuitable friction properties and are thus unsuitable as material in a guiding ring which rubs against the rollers in the bearing.
Another possible solution to the problem is to make the guiding ring in several pieces and put it together in place inside the outer ring of the bearing, whereby no part of the guiding ring has to be deformed during mounting. This solution has the disadvantage that the guiding ring easily gets unbalanced after mounting due to unavoidable manufacturing and mounting tolerances. Further, mounting is complicated and the contact between the ring and the rollers is imperfect.
A further solution is to provide the guiding ring with diametrically situated recesses in its periphery in order to make it possible to intrduce it into the bore of the outer ring without deforming it during mounting. The recesses, which usually consist of plane milled surfaces in the otherwise circular envelope surface, have a weakening effect on the guiding ring and tension concentrations occur in the region around the recesses when the guiding ring is subjected to forces.